Planet Child: Children Spend Less Time Outdoors than Prison Inmates

There are over two billion children in the world living very different lives. All dreaming of their futures. I want to be an author. I want to be a rock star but I don't know how to play the guitar. But how does where we live and how we're raised make us the person we'll become? From mega cities to deserts. In this series we film with children all around the world and across Britain to explore everything from how we become independent. What's the furthest you girls have been all by yourselves without any grown-ups? One metre. Naughtiness and the differences between boys and girls today. Girls are cleverer than boys because they have bigger brains. Twin doctors and scientists Chris and Zan van Tulleken will conduct extraordinary experiments to test the limits of what modern children are capable of and find out what it means to grow up in the 21st century. What's the best thing about being away from mum and dad? We can do whatever we want. It was like we were bigger than we are. This is the best time of my life. 90% of a child's brain has developed by age seven. As the saying goes show me the boy at seven and I'll show you the man. Quite. But life today looks nothing like it used to. This is the first generation to grow up immersed in technology. A third of British under fives now own their own tablet. Which one do you want to watch boys and put it up against here while you're eating? Gone are the days when kids roamed free. Mummy and daddy only let me put my hand out to see what the weather's like. Now three quarters of them spend less time outdoors than prison inmates and when they are allowed out it's often on a tight leash. Right that's enough please. Right stop. I think sometimes they worry too much. Oh be careful not too close to the edge though. 50 years ago it was normal for primary school children to walk to school alone. Today 97% of them are taken to the school gates. Have we all got our seatbelts on? But on the other side of the world attitudes to children's independence are very different. For these children in the Sichuan province of China getting to school involves climbing a two and a half thousand foot cliff. In the Benegat district of Nepal it means a perilous journey high above a fast flowing river. And in Tokyo, Japan they also take a radical approach to the school run. Six-year-old Michi lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his parents, his sister and two brothers. In this bustling metropolis of 36 million thousands of pint-sized commuters like Michi set off to school every single day completely alone. Little Michi spends the next hour braving his way through one of the world's busiest cities alone among millions of strangers. Giving children independence at an early age is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture despite the risks. What did you do? Inspired by Michi, twin doctors Chris and Zan van Tulleken have devised an ambitious experiment to find out if modern British children are still developing the necessary skills to strike out on their own. So what we want to do is take kids out of their comfort zone, hopefully take their parents out of their comfort zones and probably challenge the two of us a bit as well to see what we're comfortable with. And part of that is exposing them to risks that children and parents in other countries find very acceptable and that in this country for all kinds of reasons we don't. 99% of parents say they would not put a child under seven on public transport so what we've decided to do is to put some children on public transport who are under the age of seven. This is my favourite one, give me the camera here, thank you. This is proper spy stuff. By using hidden cameras and undercover chaperones the children will be safe but they'll feel completely on their own as they attempt to cross the capital to a central landmark. How often do you have kids on their own getting on the bus who are four to seven years old? Never, never. We've got a facility in the cab, what we call Code Red and that will get the police involved and they'll come and look after the children. On their way to London to take part in the doctor's experiment are three groups of planet child kids aged seven and under all growing up in very different ways. In the rolling hills of Yorkshire five-year-old farming cousins Kieran and Rita have never been to a big city. Oh my word there's loads of nice things here. I think it's brilliant growing up on the farm because we can play on tractors. And if we're even bigger we can drive it anywhere we want. Kieran what do you think London looks like? There's no farms and no fields. It sort of scares me a little bit taking him to big cities because it's so different for him. All the hustle and bustle, I don't know if he'll be a bit overwhelmed by it all. From the seaside town of Margate five-year-old Abby and her sister four-year-old Harley. And their long-suffering big brother Leo aged seven. When I grow up I want to live in a big house by myself to get peace and quiet. I know I had like more freedom when I was younger but it's just a bit of a different world now isn't it? And lastly from the Sussex suburbs it's double trouble with seven-year-old twins Judah and Darcy. Darcy's mine. One time you kicked me in the peanut. I didn't. So not great. I didn't. Actually David came out right in the peanut and it's still sore. Are you excited? Yep. And what do you like about London? Because it's a big toy shop. There are times I'm just not sure that they are savvy enough to push those boundaries themselves. So for me it's like I need to put that boundary in place. This is quite good isn't it? The actual planet child children. Looking at them lurking around now they look small. They look tiny, little. They're not your standard commuter. Come and have a seat. It's time for the children to find out what the doctors have in store for them. Have you ever heard of something called the London Eye? Yes. To get to the London Eye the children must use their navigation skills to cross the Central London Park then find and board the right bus to take them to their destination three miles across the capital. But there's a catch they don't yet know. You are going to go on your own without mum and dad. I don't want to leave. Yeah goodbye. See you later. I think we're going to this experiment with a few different questions. Specifically what are children actually able to do? Love you. I love you. Have fun. Can they complete this task emotionally, psychologically, intellectually? And then we're also asking what parents can do. Are parents able to just step back and allow this to run? Bye mummy. Oh bye. It's really worrying handing them over. I've never let them get on a bus by themselves and I'm just a bit like oh my god. This is not what we're used to. Cars and bikes and roads and yeah it's a lot different to where we're from. Bye love you. I've got separation anxiety I think because it's a really big deal. It's London, it's huge and they're seven. They're really little. This is completely untested. We are entering into the unknown and I just hope they're up to it. Inspired by the independence that is part of everyday life for some children around the world. Twin doctors Chris and Zan van Tulleken are testing what happens when a group of British under-7s are asked to travel across the bustling capital city without their parents. So we're testing lots of things. The kids ability to stay on task, to navigate, to remember stuff, to follow instructions, to work together and to manage their emotions. And they've got to do all these things in a specific order in this totally alien environment so it's a lot to ask. I'm fascinated to see how they do. The bus stop has a picture of the London Eye on it. But how do we know what way we're looking? Well you've got to use the map and find out. Oh let's go down there then you go in a circle then you're there. Well that sounds like a plan. The trick is to find something on the map that you recognise and go to that thing and then you'll know where you are on the map. The ability to use directions like left and right doesn't fully develop until we're about 10. But pointing out landmarks on a route can improve navigation skills. We have to get to the cannons. Oh I know just let me sort it out. Kieran, Kieran, hold on, hold on. You haven't got your money. You haven't got your money yet. That brought him back to the table didn't it? Along with navigation there's also a test of the children's ability to follow instructions. They have to find a cafe, buy a souvenir and then head for the main gate to catch a bus to the London Eye. So how do you think you're going to do Kieran? You're feeling pretty good about this Judah? Yeah. Who's the sensible one? Me. Who's the silly one? Judah. So they don't bump into each other. The groups are given staggered starts. Good luck everyone. Everyone follow me. Okay let's go and punch. Away you go. I think it's that way. I've got no idea. It looks like Kieran's off. Bye Kieran. Go catch up Kieran. Find the cannons. In Britain the distance children roam freely from home has shrunk by 90% in the last 50 years. But in other cultures freedom is a necessary part of growing up for even the youngest children. This is Wakuihe. He's a member of the ancient Himba tribe who live in the remote Kanini desert of Namibia. Wakuihe lives with his dad, his mum, his dad's second wife and his six brothers and sisters. Here in Namibia children as young as three handle machetes and make fires. They also roam far from home. Each morning seven-year-old Wakuihe and five-year-old brother Mingana leave their village in search of firewood. The search can take them miles away from the safety of their village. Overcoming fears develops confidence and giving children the opportunity to find their way alone helps them learn important spatial skills. Back in the park seven-year-old twins Darcy and Judah are getting to grips with navigation. I think they'll have the edge over some of the other kids who don't have a sibling of exactly the same age. Darcy and Judah may have the advantage of being the same age but double can sometimes spell trouble. You say that too I'm not allowed to be the boss of the games. And in Darcy and Judah's Sussex home there's double twin trouble with two-year-old identical twins Jackson and Hudson. And obviously because Hudson bites. It is incredible and what a privilege to have two sets of twins but it is hard work, it's relentless. The days when you want to just crawl up in a ball and cry, yeah. And drink lots of gin. Like most British children the twins are closely supervised. It's all around boundaries isn't it and I think every parent is going to probably struggle with that. I feel like Mummy and Daddy really want to keep us safe so we don't hurt ourselves or die because they really love us. Becky and Tim have agreed to let the twins take part in a controlled experiment to explore the family's attitude to risk. Experts believe engaging with risk is a fundamental part of healthy development. Oh this is really cool. Children have a natural tendency to seek out risk and research suggests they're actually good judges of their own limits. The twins are free to play with these objects however they want and unless they think they're in danger parents Becky and Tim have agreed not to intervene. Oh my gosh he's a tree, he's going for the tree. Come on Darcy, is that okay? I think Judy's in charge because he's always like Darcy I'm always the boss of things because I'm older than you but he's only nine seconds. Whoa Darcy I'm coming down now, okay. She hasn't tried to do it yet. I don't think she will. I'm going up, well for what? On this, whoa that is not stable. Parents tend to be far more risk averse with daughters than sons. I know naturally I'm probably a little bit more cautious with Darcy and maybe I shouldn't be but to me that's my little girl so I'd almost go, go on then Judah, try and climb up to the next one. Darcy do you need me to give you a hand to the next one? I still want you to get there but as a dad can I help you get there a bit more? Your ladder isn't that stable, hold it, hold it if I move it around. Oh man alive. Can you see? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is it okay? By experiencing risk the parts of the twin's brains that process fear and excitement are getting vital exercise. It's quite stable. My gosh that ladder. In fact any time we successfully push ourselves important connections in the brain are strengthened making us better prepared the next time we face a risk. Judah, I'm actually up upon a tree. This is the best time of my life. Should be going that way. Today in the London park Darcy's taken the lead. No, wait yeah probably it is that way. But soon the twins are well and truly lost. So that's where we were lost. No, we started here. So at this age kids think that the world revolves around them and that's how they read maps and because maps don't work like that what happens quite often is what's happened here they get lost. I'm sure we should keep on going straight and probably go that way. But it turns out that getting lost is really, really good for cognitive development because you can see here they're exploring unfamiliar places they're making mistakes and learning how to cope with that they're problem solving and none of it would happen if they were with their parents in this park. I think we keep on going on that one. I think we go back down here. I've got my little bum bag on so it's alright. Little bum bag. On the other side of the park seven-year-old Leo has taken charge of his little sisters. The cannons are right there and there's a little path. Until today the trio have never been allowed out on their own. I think it's a bit good being a brother. You're more scared when you're younger. Even I was when I was younger. Leo lives in Margate with his three sisters, his mum, four budgies, a hamster and Cookie the dog. We're playing more indoors than outdoors. Our garden's little with no grass. There isn't even that much space to play football or tag or anything out there. I can't go to anywhere I want. I think mummy worries because she doesn't want us to get injured or to get lost. What's the furthest you girls have been all by yourselves without any grown-ups? One metre. I worry about the kids not looking and just like wandering out into the road. I worry about someone like snatching them. Just anything that could happen I kind of think that's going to happen. Do you think you're brave? No. Why not? Because I just don't feel like I am. Okay then we go this way. Inside the London Park, Leo's making the most of his first taste of freedom. Wait I think that's the cafe. That is the cafe. Come on. In minutes he's found the cafe where he needs to remember to buy a souvenir. Please can we buy a souvenir please? Which one would you like to buy? Leo took that map like a miniature general and just kind of oriented himself like right guns yeah building there we go there's the path so it must be we're here there's a bench oh there's a picture of you you're so he he just got it all. Abi you choose. Eldest children have a better chance of developing skills like persistence and leadership. Thank you. In fact they're nearly 30% more likely than their siblings to end up in senior managerial jobs. Abi we're almost at the main gate look there's the main gate. Come on you need to walk a bit faster. Leo and his sisters are the first to leave the park. So it's not easy standing here watching kids that little walking out the gate. They're going out onto a main road jam-packed with people vehicles rushing past. This is what every parent is terrified about. Really really nervous like I've never let them get on a bus by themselves and now we're in London and I'm just a bit like oh my god. In some parts of the world children are given responsibilities that foster independence from a very young age. To explore if modern British kids are still developing the skills they need to become independent three groups of under sevens are taking part in an ambitious experiment. So it's somewhere around this park. Their task to travel across the capital by bus to the London Eye without their parents. Wait I think it's here. Our seaside siblings are now loose on the streets of London led by seven-year-old Leo. Yep we found it. Good morning. Where are you off to? London Eye. Okay take a seat upstairs you'll see lots of sight. Waiting at their destination Dr Zahnd will watch their progress using hidden cameras on board the bus. And unknown to the children they're undercover chaperones planted as passengers in case of an emergency. My son does not ride the bus on his own. He's nine and I kind of go could be him I wonder how he'd cope. It's easy in the abstract to think we should not be helicopter parents but now I feel quite protective of them and quite responsible for them. I can't see the London Eye. It's a natural instinct to want to protect our children from any fear they have but fear can be a good thing. Fear helps keep us safe from possible risks and threats. We're born with the ability to rapidly learn to fear snakes and spiders thought to be triggered by their scuttling and slithering movements. As our experiences broaden we develop other fears. But being exposed to our fears in a controlled environment can reduce anxiety and make us more confident. Oh this is amazing. So it's somewhere around this part. Last to set off on their journey are five-year-old farming cousins Kieran and Rita. We're on an important mission. So I've never seen two people skip off so totally confidently in utterly the wrong direction. They have no idea where they're going. Oh come on we can do it. It's all about working together. Promise teamwork every time. At home in Yorkshire Kieran and Rita have the most freedom of all of our British Planet child kids. Kieran's family have been farming for four generations and he has over 200 acres of land to explore. Rita, come on Rita. It's time for me to feed the cows. Okay. Love it when I drive the tractor the hill. Being free out here it's giving him a sense of what there is in the world. As long as he's outside and within hearing reach so to speak he can do what he wants. Sometimes his freedom can get him carried away. When he was four years old he disappeared. Could I find him? There was nowhere to be seen. And my brother he'd just been off and he says I met Kieran on the main road and that were a right scare. Luckily Kieran has trusty sidekick cousin Rita to keep an eye on him. He's naughty a lot. No I'm not. Yes you are. Sometimes I am but not a lot. Yes you are a lot. The kids may have the run of the farm. Rita, come on. But they have little experience of life outside Yorkshire. But so far the big city is one big playground. They're obviously feeling safe and confident. They may of course have entirely forgotten what on earth it is they're meant to be doing. Kieran, let's go through the park now. Go on. So let's go into the playground please. They've now stopped for a play properly in a proper playground. We can do it Kieran. Staying focused is challenging for five-year-olds. Their average attention span is just 14 minutes. It's not playing time. Rita, we have to pass this playground. No, I'm trying to look around for it. Slightly aware of this map and the task. They just keep being drawn back into the vortex of more games and things to play with. Kieran and Rita may not be fully focused on the task in hand but they're still doing something important. Playing is the ultimate superfood for a child's brain. From the age of three, children begin to act out make-believe scenarios which help them to prepare and cope with real-life challenges. Simple tools are best for fueling a child's creativity. There is evidence that the more time children spend in less structured activities the better this is for their brain development. Darcy, the cannons! We're near now, the cannons. Oh, the cannons are here. After going round in circles... Hello. How are you? Are you allowed to see the news? Yes. Seven-year-old twins Judah and Darcy complete the first task, finding the cafe. Now we need to catch a bus. Right. And quickly get to the park gates. It should be down there, that could be it. Can we have a trip to the London Eye? Yeah, when you see it, ring the bell and we'll stop you there. Thanks. Despite the challenges, Judah and Darcy are supporting each other well, something experts believe twins are particularly good at. By studying scans in the womb, researchers found twins begin bonding through touch when they're just 14 weeks old. Tay, what should we do first? What it's like to be a twin is quite annoying, quite fun and quite funny. Tay, look at that. Most of the time we get along. Yes, most of the time. Twins can develop closer bonds and display less rivalry than other siblings. I'm making a giant pac-man and Darcy is with me. It makes me feel a bit braver because I used to be scared of the dark. You said it, well done. But now I'm not so afraid because I have a twin beside me. Mum, I'm coming. In the park, five-year-old cousins Kieran and Rita finally tear themselves away from the playground to search for the cafe. Oh, we're really close. Yeah. I can smell it. Oh, I see two cannons. We found the cannons. I found a cafe. It says cafe there. I'm really blown away by that. There's been so much time passed since I gave them the instructions, but they're back on track. I'm going to get this one. There's another thing that strikes me watching them. They've stayed really calm and relaxed. They're kind of going at their own pace. And all the others are very task-focused. And I wonder if that's because Kieran and Rita are used to being unsupervised, so they don't feel like they're under pressure. Bye. It's the first time I've been to a cafe all on my own. So Kieran, we go out of that gate, find where it says bus stop. The pair are so confident, they strike up a conversation with a fellow traveller. The London Eye bus. What they don't know is she's one of the undercover chaperones. You have to find the yard. It's so interesting how confident a five-year-old actually is out in the world. And that's good and bad. You know, that's a reason to protect them. But it's also a reason to let them explore that and not destroy that confidence. London Eye, it's the London Eye. So we're sitting at this side, Kieran. Oh, we're going to go. It's really nice to go on a trip in a bus on our own. But it's a really special bus. The three groups of Planet Child kids are all on different buses. Look at that big tower up there. Riding across the capital. Rita? Yeah? Do you like being in London? Yeah. It's a sunny place. Do you know what is bigger, England or London? London. Yeah, I think it is as well. Is it bigger than my country? Yeah, it's gigantic. Look on that side. Look, that's a big palace like that. Whoa. Do you want to live in London? I do like being on my own. It's really cool. And why do you think I miss my mummy and daddy? Stassi's really enjoying it and Judah misses his mummy and daddy. Which I think is quite a twin thing. I think twins polarise each other a bit. So if one twin's relaxed, the other twin's sort of free to worry a bit more. I can't wait to get there. But it's taking a long time. The children have been told the bus trip lasts 20 minutes. But even at seven, they don't have a fully developed concept of time. They're not sure how short a minute is or how long an hour feels, which is why on car journeys, they constantly ask. Are we nearly there? Yes. Where's London Eye? I can't see it. Oh, look, there it is. Oh, yay. I can see London Eye. The children have been told to get off at the stop closest to the London Eye. OK, I think we have to stop. No, not yet. But their different routes weave around the capital, with the Eye going in and out of sight. It's up to them to judge when they need to get off. So this is one of the really difficult bits for them. They've got to feel confident enough to stay on through a stop. Like, what I don't want them to do is get off at Westminster Abbey and start strolling around. Let's stop Westminster. Some of the children have been on their own for over an hour, and there's still a mile left to go. I don't think we're anywhere near it. Because if we're near it, we should see it. When kids get tired and overwhelmed, that's when they want help from their parents. It's when they're likely to give up. Now, these kids still have a way to go on the bus, and after that, they've got to find me here. And I'm worried this might prove too much for them. Inspired by the freedom given to children in some places around the world, we've challenged three groups of British under-7s to cross London without their parents. The bus is carrying the children, closing in on the London Eye, where Dr Zahn van Tulleken is waiting. So this is just a difficult waiting game for me now, because they have to judge this time and distance, and it will be very easy for them to miss the stop. And if they do, they will be miles off course. Yeah, is that the stop button? Yeah, that is the stop button. You can press it when you think we're here. No, not yet. We don't think we're here, are we? Hiya! Also en route are the children's parents. Part of me feels like I've abandoned my children in London. I'm ringing a bell. With the least traffic on their route, Judah and Darcy's bus is the fastest to the London Eye. Darcy, don't ring it that many times. When is he going to stop? I need to stop. Thank you very much. Thank you for the ride. You just never see this. You never see two children hopping off a bus with no grown-up. For the twins, navigation has been the biggest challenge, and they've still got to find Zand. I think we'll have to go there. So their sense of direction is not great. They've set off in completely the wrong direction. Look at the map! I'd imagine they've got a bit of deja vu about like, oh, here we go again, the map, the map. I think we're going the wrong way. Let's go this way. That's good. Hey, hey, how are you doing? That's awesome! You're amazing, you found me! Give me five. Judah, how are you doing? All great. Awesome work. Yeah. Was it hard using the map? Yeah. Next, it's the seaside siblings, marshalled by big brother Leo. I already see him. Can you look? He's in that blue top. Stay close. Hey, everybody, how are you doing? You did very well. Give me a high five. You're right. That is awesome. Oh, you got a dog five. Do I get a high five? You're brilliant. Do you feel pleased with yourselves? What? Last to arrive are Yorkshire farming cousins, Kieran and Rita. That is bouncing off the bus. This looks good. They're there. Oh, they're there. Can I see them? Look, Kieran, quick! What are you doing? You did an awesome job. How was the bus ride? Really cool. Was it easy? Would you do it again? Yeah. I feel proud of them, not me. It's just because they're younger. I thought they would just be, like, really quiet. We were on our own and it was like we were bigger than we are, than we actually are. You were bigger than you are? What do you mean by that? I felt like a different age. I think she was struggling for the words because it is a big feeling that she did feel she'd grown up a bit. And that's why it's really good to give kids responsibility. Hey, does anybody have a ticket for the London Arch? Come on, everybody. Let's go. After their London adventure, the children have the confidence to hop on board one of the tallest ferris wheels in the world. Bye! I was so happy to see them. That was a big thing for me to kind of let them do that. I feel like they've got more independence. Yeah, and I think more confidence as well. Yeah, more definitely. You feel you did well? Yes, I do. Good. They've had this amazing adventure. Yeah, yeah. And actually, for them, they're growing up. Yeah. And I think this is now part of that journey, and actually something that they'll never forget. Yeah, yeah. So I feel really emotional for them, actually. It has been an amazing day. All the kids have stepped up and really shown us how capable they are. And we're not saying just stick your kids on a bus unattended, but if you can give them freedom, unsupervised play, it's so important to help them develop all those skills they'll need throughout their lives. I think a lot of people, including us, are inclined to keep their kids as safe as possible. And actually, it would be much better if we just kept them as safe as necessary.